Most Americans read a few books or none at all last year
Core finding
A plurality of Americans (38%) read just one to four books in the past year, and a quarter (25%) read none at all, a combined 63% who finished four or fewer, according to a December 2025 Verasight survey.
Fewer were heavier readers: 16% got through five to nine books, 10% read 20 or more, 7% read 10 to 14 and 4% read 15 to 19.
Topline distribution
Most Americans read a few books or none at all last year.
How many books did you read last year?
n = 1,000 · Dec 3–8, 2025 · MoE ±3.2%
Methodology
Full methodology →| Mode | Verasight panel recruited via random address-based sampling, random person-to-person text messaging, and dynamic online targeting |
|---|---|
| Population | US adults age 18+ |
| Field dates | Dec 3–8, 2025 |
| Base (unweighted) | 1,000 |
| Margin of error | ±3.2% |
| Module | soc_pol |
| Sponsor | Verasight |
| Weight variable | weight |
| Weighting targets | age, race/ethnicity, sex, income, education, region, metropolitan status |
Sources
- reports.verasight.io/r/verasight-human-v-synthetic
How many books did you read last year?
Cite this question
Verasight Human/LLM Comparison Survey #2025-172, fielded December 3-8, 2025, N=1,000 US adults age 18+, +/- 3.2%.